A mysterious Friday night incident in which a Canadian Coast Guard vessel ended up on its side and partially submerged in water at a Nova Scotia shipyard is now being investigated as suspected vandalism.
Halifax police confirmed Saturday afternoon that officers responded that morning after CCGS Corporal McLaren slid down a ramp and hit the water at the Canadian Maritime Engineering shipyard in Sambro, N.S.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that someone damaged the slip, which caused the ship to slide back into the ocean,” Sgt. Pierre Bourdages said in an email.
“The extent of the damages to the ship is not known at this time.”
READ MORE: Crews searching for 2 fishermen missing off north shore of P.E.I.
CCGS Corporal McLaren was at the Sambro shipyard for scheduled maintenance.
Jocelyn Lubczuk, press secretary for the minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said a damage assessment and salvage plan is being established between the shipyard and the coast guard. She said it will be an estimated three to four days before the vessel is returned to the slip.
She said there were no injuries in the incident, and a floating barrier has since been put in place to prevent environmental impacts.